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New Norman project nears consultation conclusion

By: Bridget Randall-Smith 23/10/2020 4COffshore

General Windfarms

Feedback on France's 1 GW offshore wind project, to be built off the coast of Normandy, has been published following a 10 month consultation period. The National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) has published the debate report and recommendations ahead of the upcoming tender to build the proposed wind farm.

The consultation is the first under a new procedure (Société de confiance) for public participation prior to deciding the location of the wind farm and the competitive bidding procedure. This aims at reducing the level of opposition experienced by the first generation of French offshore wind farms.

The goal is to identify a final 300 km2 wind farm area from a macro-zone of 10,500 km2, in which to build the 1 GW wind farm, which will likely feature 65-80 turbines, each with a rated power of 12-15 MW.

With more than 800 contributions, 4,000 attendees at face-to-face meetings and 18,000 online, the interaction levels were much greater than that observed in previous public debates on offshore wind farm projects, no doubt because of the expected objectives of this procedure but also of the wide variety of communication tools used by the commission, especially during a global pandemic.

The report contains all the opinions and arguments expressed during the debate, which concluded on 19th August. The debate has highlighted where technical knowledge is current lacking as well as the importance of considering impacts to the fishing industry. Recommendations include a post-debate public information and participation mechanism throughout the next phases of development and a "Scientific Committee" to address knowledge gaps.

The Commission's recommendations for establishing a wind farm will be sent to the the Ministry of Ecological Transition (contracting authority) which, in three months' time (19th January 2021), will decide the conditions and measures necessary for the continuation of the project based on the lessons it drawn from the debate.

The consultation was launched in November 2019 and was expected to conclude in May 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public debate was suspended in late March. The National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) decided to resume public debate on 15th June, for the remaining period nine weeks.

A 1 GW tender was due to be launched before the end of the year allowing developers to bid to build the project but, given the delays to the debate timetable, this is now expected in 2021.

This story was first reported exclusively for 4C Offshore subscribers. For more information, click here
For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here.

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New Norman project nears consultation conclusion

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